Device for managing body fluids comprising a fast acquiring liquid handling member that expands upon liquid acquisition and contracts upon liquid release

Abstract

The present invention provides a liquid handling member that expands upon absorption of body liquid and contracts upon desorption of the body liquid. The liquid handling member of the present invention further exhibits an 80 percent absorption time of less than 2 seconds. The present invention further provides a device for handling body liquids which comprises the liquid handling member of the present invention.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to devices for managing body fluids such as urine, sweat, saliva, blood, menses, purulence, or fecal material, and in particular to their ability to acquire and retain aqueous based materials. The invention further relates to disposable absorbent articles such as baby diapers or training pants, adult incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products and other body liquid handling articles such as catheters, urinals, and the like.BACKGROUNDDevices for managing body fluids are well known in the art and are frequently used for a wide variety of purposes. For example, the devices may serve hygienic purposes such as diapers, sanitary napkins, adult incontinence products, underarm sweat pads, and the like. There is another class of such devices which serve medical purposes such as wound dressings or drainages, catheters, and the like. Accordingly such devices have been designed to cope with a large variety of different body liquids su...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Large void volume, however, creates unwanted bulk for the device.

The bulk thus created is particularly undesirable close to the body exits from which the body liquids are discharged such as the urethra.

Upon the first wetting of such a material, however, these material tend to irreversibly expand.

Hence, all such materials still create unwanted bulk for the remainder of the usage period.

Some of the latter materials will re-contract upon dewatering, but those materials acquire liquid too slow to be useful for acquiring large gushes sufficiently fast.

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